Flyswatters have been used for many, many years. Many attempts have been made to overcome various problems with flyswatters and the use thereof, as evidenced by the many patents directed to such subject matter. For example, the following patents illustrate the various advancements made in the field of flyswatters: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,299,580 by Knimlaw; 1,412,312 by Little; 1,650,548 by Sullivan; 1,860,939 by Miller and 3,673,730 by Hegenberger.
The most common application of a typical flyswatter is to swat an insect and smash it between the flat striking surface of the flyswatter and an object on which the insect rests. A sufficient force is applied to crush or severely harm the insect, resulting in its subsequent death. In this process the delicate body of the insect is usually smeared or broken apart—leaving a mess or residue on both flyswatter and the object supporting the insect.
Often, when a flyswatter is used, it will not be swung with the full force available to the person using the flyswatter, because they know that doing so will smear the insect all over the object. Thus, a person using a flyswatter will typically try to swing fast enough to catch the insect, but slow at the very end of the actual strike so as not to smear the residue of the insect over the object. The problem with this is that it makes it more difficult to catch fast-moving insects.
The present invention eliminates this problem because the user does not need to be concerned with slowing down the motion of the flyswatter, or trying to hit the insect at an angle so as to not smear it. With the present invention, the user can swing the flyswatter as fast and as hard as they want, and attempt to land the flyswatter flat against the insect resting surface, and be comfortable with the assurance that the insect will not be smeared all over the object. Performing the operation in this way also maximizes the chances of actually striking the insect.
It can be seen that a need exists for a flyswatter involving a relatively minor modification to conventional flyswatter designs, thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the mess associated with a standard insect swatting operation.